[Sickie Ickie]

Okay, I know we all have opinions on this. My question is thus:

Should actors in a haunt touch patrons for a startle or scare?

My personal feeling is never touch a guest, but how do others feel?

 

[TwistedDementia]

Never Ever!!!

 

[1031fan]

while i would never say touch a guest directly - we do need to attack all the senses - so i try to make the guests have to "touch" stuff as they walk through - could be as simple as string hanging down or something like the ankle ticklers...cloth curtains they have to walk through...air cannons - there are ways to make the guests "feel" something without having to touch them - and i think we are missing out on opportunities if we dont take advantage of them - my .02$

riley

 

[Hauntiholik]

Wasn't there a guy (madmax?) that was accused of inappropriate touching of a patron?

 

[IshWitch]

I have always held to never tough a guest.

 

[BuriedAlive]

I agree. Touching is a no-no for a number of reasons.

 

[Frighteners Entertainment]

no touchy touchy!

Though, this doesn't mean your props can't.
This is what I've done for the last 3-4 years.
Whether it is latex skeletons flying across the room or falling onto their feet, spider eggs sacks falling from the ceiling, water dripping from the cavern ceiling, ankle ticklers thrashing about at their feet and for the very special guests, the dreaded wet toilet paper toss (oh mom, what was that, it's stuck on me, ahhh, what is it??? Get it off, get it off!!!)

 

[TwistedDementia]

no touchy touchy!

Though, this doesn't mean your props can't.
This is what I've done for the last 3-4 years.
Whether it is latex skeletons flying across the room or falling onto their feet, spider eggs sacks falling from the ceiling, water dripping from the cavern ceiling, ankle ticklers thrashing about at their feet and for the very special guests, the dreaded wet toilet paper toss (oh mom, what was that, it's stuck on me, ahhh, what is it??? Get it off, get it off!!!)

I was going to reveil your technique but figure I'd let you do it!

 

[Lakeside Haunt]

touching is bad and props touching is sometimes bad as well air cannons and such are ok but in one haunt I visited they had a 3 ft spider attached to a string that they would shove in front of patrons. When I went through the person in charge of pushing it had bad timing and it wacked me on the head as I walked by. That is not Ok if I was a sue happy person this would be bad fortunantly im not.

 

[1031fan]

i agree - i dont think that moving props - ankle ticklers being an acception - should touch the guests - i try to have my "touching" stuff be innitiated by the guests - like when they walk through a shredded curtian - nothing really coming out and touching them - they cant really feel violated just by walking through some string or cloth whereas - even if the actors werent directly having personal contact with them - it they were in controll of somthing that was they would be in the same position as if they just stuck there hand out and grabbed them - riley

 

[Frighteners Entertainment]

All I can say, as in the last 3-4 yrs, never had 1 complaint and I would about 1000-1200 folks through. Everyone loved it.

 

[dave the dead]

wet TP???? that sound hilarious.
One year at our campground haunt we had a 5 gallon bucket of wet spaghetti noodles that we threw on guests one or two noodles at a time...all went well until one person with no sense of humor didn't like it on his Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt and called the sherriff on us claiming to have been assaulted.....we had to shut down while four sherriffs and a team of park rangers investigated the complaint. They made us promise no more noodles and went away irritated at the person who made the complaint....

yeah, no touching for your own good....people can really be jerks sometimes.

 

[Eric Striffler]

We have a no touching policy in our haunt, however like someone said, sometimes people position themselves so that you have to touch the actor to get by or whatever. They might have to brush past them or whatever. But pretty much there's a no touching policy. I'm sure that's the same almost anywhere.

 

[turtle2778]

so how does the dot room and such work then? How do they know you are even there?

 

[1031fan]

have you ever been in one? the actors have to be perfectly still when you enter for it to work - the slightest movent can be seen cause it looks like the dots are moving - thats what freaks people out - riley

 

[ScareShack]

I say this, just my opinion, if i go somewhere, or even here when we do our thing...............
No actors touch.....keep a 1 foot distance from quests.......
props....well we need to hit that sense...so if they get close enough for the effect ok.
Bottom Line....no real people touch any quest in any haunt!
Think of it this way.....an actor walks up behind you or u lady for the scare....touches either one...perhaps a starttle, maybe a scar, perhaps a angy person....just dont do it i think...just my opinion.

 

[skeletonowl]

take an empty can. Put two quaters in it. Tape the top so they don't fall out. Rattle it for attention. It's that simple without touching.

 

[Empress Nightshade]

Wasn't there a guy (madmax?) that was accused of inappropriate touching of a patron?

Really, Hauntiholik? I guess I've been away too long!

take an empty can. Put two quaters in it. Tape the top so they don't fall out. Rattle it for attention. It's that simple without touching.

Ah. The Rattle Can. Several Haunted Houses in Amusement Parks use them to save the actors' voices. Although, they do give a startle scare, it tends to make the customer rather irrate. I'm not sure why, but I've seen it time and time again -- that look of irritation when it's rattled for the scare.

I agree with what many have said already -- using other items that the customers have to either brush by or make their way through is a great way to utilize the sense of touch. Besides the two air cannons we're using, we're also making them walk through a nasty laundry room that has lots of wet, stained and stuffed pillowcases hanging from the ceiling.

Now, if I can only figure out how to get "taste" involved somewhere in the haunt, I'll be a happy camper!

 

[Beepem]

lawsuits start when its physical

 

[Frighteners Entertainment]

lawsuits start when its physical

I would say ,when you charge. Dollar signs are a big motivator!
Home Haunters are still under the radar, but your actors still shouldn't touch.